[Cinquefoils: The Genera Comarum, Dasiphora, Drymocallis and Potentilla East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Drummond's Cinquefoil

Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii

Synonyms: Potentilla anomalofolia, Potentilla cascadensis, Potentilla dissecta var. drummondii, Potentilla drummondii var. cascadensis, Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii

Drummond's Cinquefoil: Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii (Synonyms: Potentilla anomalofolia, Potentilla cascadensis, Potentilla dissecta var. drummondii, Potentilla drummondii var. cascadensis, Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii)

Drummond's cinquefoil from the Sawtooth Berry Fields in the Gifford Pinchot N.F.......July 1989.

Drummond's Cinquefoil: Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii (Synonym: Potentilla anomalofolia)The photo at right illustrates Drummond's cinquefoil as found at the northwest corner of South Prairie in the Gifford Pinchot N.F...........June 30, 1990.
Characteristics:

Drummond's cinquefoil is an attractive perennial which forms large clumps of erect to spreading stems from 25-45 cm long. The leaves and stems are covered with numerous short hairs and the leaves always appear green (rather than gray or silvery). The basal leaves are numerous and these have long petioles with 5-11 obovate leaflets from 1.5-2.5 cm long. The margins of the leaflets are deeply toothed as seen in the photos of the leaves below. The toothed margins are cut approximately one-half of the way into the mid vein. The upper 3 leaflets often overlap as seen in the photos below. Individual leaflets range from 10-50 mm long. There are usually only two or three smaller leaves on the stem.

The inflorescence is a leafy-bracteate cyme of 10-20 flowers. The calyx consists of a shallow saucer up to 1.5 cm wide with 5 sepals. The 5 petals are bright yellow and about 5-11 mm long and obovate to obcordate in shape. The petals are slightly notched at the tips and about twice as long as the sepals.. The pistils are numerous and there are about 20 stamens.
Habitat:

Drummond's cinquefoil may be found on rocky open slopes and in wet meadows in alpine and subalpine habitats.


Range:

Drummond's cinquefoil may be found from southern British Columbia and Alberta south through the Cascades and Olympics to the Sierra Nevada of northern California. Subspecies breweri (now classified as P. breweri) is also found on the Steens Mt. of southeastern Oregon as well as at limited sites in the southern Washington Cascades.


Dorsal leaf surface of Drummond's Cinquefoil: Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii (Synonyms: Potentilla anomalofolia, Potentilla cascadensis, Potentilla dissecta var. drummondii, Potentilla drummondii var. cascadensis, Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii) Ventral leaf surface of Drummond's Cinquefoil: Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii (Synonyms: Potentilla anomalofolia, Potentilla cascadensis, Potentilla dissecta var. drummondii, Potentilla drummondii var. cascadensis, Potentilla drummondii ssp. drummondii)
These photos show the upper leaf surface (left) and the ventral leaf surface (right) of Drummond's cinquefoil as seen from Indian Mt. at the southern edge of the Mark Hatfield Wilderness.........mid July, 2001.

Paul Slichter